Lions, Dynamo In Championship

DAYTONA BEACH — Winning wasn't quite good enough for the San Jose Hawks in the second annual United States Inter-regional Soccer League's Sizzling Six championship series.

Although the Hawks defeated the Dallas Rockets, 3-1, Thursday and the East Los Angeles Cobras, 4-1, Friday, the USISL's tiebreaker system left San Jose just behind the Greensboro Dynamo and the Orlando Lions. Greensboro and Orlando will play at 7 tonight at Municipal Stadium for the championship.

''It's ridiculous when you go 2-0 and lose out to two teams you didn't even get a chance to play,'' said San Jose coach Laurie Calloway, whose team ended its season with a 16-2 record. ''It's all because of the number of goals scored and allowed.''

Orlando, Greensboro and San Jose entered the tournament as the top three seeded teams with 14-2 records, and the tiebreaker situation was created when none of the three lost in the opening two rounds.

San Jose's lapse occurred in the opening round when it defeated Dallas by just two goals. Orlando prevailed over Atlanta, 5-1, and Greensboro blanked East Los Angeles, 4-0.

Although each of the victors received the maximum nine points under the scoring system, Orlando and Greensboro had winning margins of four goals. San Jose prevailed by two goals.

Under the scoring system, six points are given for a victory in regulation or overtime. A bonus point is given for each goal up to a maximum of three goals.

Dallas' defense, which held Orlando's high-scoring Sheldon Lee in check Friday, tired in the final 10 minutes when the Lions scored three goals in the final 10 minutes to come away with a 3-1 triumph.

Dylan Lewis headed in a shot off a pass from Steve Freeman to tie the score with 10 minutes remaining, and the Lions notched a 2-1 advantage as Aziz Essaffi bumped the ball past charging goalie Lynn Yenable off a pass from Freeman.

''The second goal was definitely an offside,'' said Dallas coach Horst Bertl, whose team finished with an 11-7 record.

''We played 52 minutes in the second half, according to my watch. I didn't know when the game was going to end.''

Freeman, who had assists on each of Orlando's first two goals, scored on a breakaway in the final minute to give the Lions the victory and a berth in the championship game.

If Freeman had not scored that goal to give Orlando the maximum nine points for a victory with at least three goals, San Jose would have qualified for the final against Greensboro. The Dynamo blitzed Atlanta, 9-0, late Friday.